Now, after 30 years movies will once again be shown at the Pikes Theater, starting Friday.

The theater is located on Reisterstown Road at Sherwood Avenue.

What was once a 650-seat single screen theater will open as two 75-seat theaters with large "silver screens" to show 3D movies.

Ira Miller, a Pikesville native and former MGM executive, will own and operate the theater.

Miller worked for the theater chain that operated The Pikes in the 1960's and 70's.

"I used to book this theater in the late 60's and 70's. I booked The Graduate, The Frisco Kid, and Blazing Saddles. This has always been a labor of love for me, this theater," Miller told WBAL News.

Miller says each of the two theaters will have stadium seating. He says typically one screen will show first-run movies, while the other will show documentaries and art films.

For the debut weekend, the Pikes will show Gravity 3D on one screen and Hava Nagila, an Israeli comedy on another.

Miller came back to Baltimore in 2006 and now operates the Rotunda Cinemas in North Baltimore. He says that he was looking to expand to a theater in Pikesville. He notes that if Pikesville residents go to movie theaters, they have to go to either Owings Mills or Hunt Valley.

Over the years movies that appealed to the predominantly Jewish neighborhood did particularly well at the Pikes.

The 1979 comedy-adventure The Frisco Kid, starring Gene Wilder and Harrison Ford ran at the old Pikes for months.

It was the story of Polish rabbi (Wilder) who traveled across the United States in the 1800's and befriends a gunslinger (Ford).

Miller said that he believes the movies at the Pikes will appeal to everyone.

"We're going to have movies that cater to everybody," Miller said.

"Next week we're going to have the movie Thor, which will be in 3D... and we'll have The Hobbit2 coming here for Christmas and either The Wolf of Wall Street, or The Secret Live of Walter Mitty for Christmas."

In the last 30-years, the building has housed restaurants and arts centers.

In 2007, the building opened as the Pikes Diner.

The restaurant is owned by Will Reich, whose family also owns Jilly's Bar which is a block away, and until recently owned the Jilly's and Forrest Diner in Ellicott City.

Last year, Reich and his family walled off half of the building creating room for a separate theater.

"We cut the building in half," said Reich's grandson Brandon Rust, who helps run the restaurant.

"We revamped our menu. We improved our ingredients. We have a Southwest menu which we are putting out today. We still have the burgers and the breakfasts."

Rust says he hopes the restaurant will attract movie goers.

Miller says the theater renovations cost around $300,000, and included a $50,000 loan from Baltimore County.

Miller also says the theater and restaurant have added parking, including purchasing the formerly metered lot one block from the theater on Sherwood Avenue.

Both the restaurant and the theater will be open seven days a week. Miller says the theater will begin showing movies every day starting at 12:30 p.m.